for Peace and World Affairs, Third Floor Conference Room.Date and time: October 24, 2007, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.RSVP: Free to the public. RSVP’s appreciated at rsvp@maghrebcenter.org or 202-470-2050.

On April 19, 2007, Mauritania ushered in an era of democracy with the swearing-in of its new 69-year-old President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, in what some have referred to as the “gentle revolution.” This had been preceded by a successful referendum in June 2006 to see if the people wanted to transition to democracy, following a “democratic” coup d’etat in summer 2005, which many outside observers felt would fail. Since that time, a series of unpredicted and remarkable changes have taken place, including new legislative measures to eradicate slavery and a call for the return of Mauritanians exiled during the tragic 1989 conflict with Senegal.

We are honored that Ambassador Dia has chosen the Maghreb Center Speaker Series at Georgetown for his first public appearance to discuss Mauritania’s transition and status as the Islamic world’s newest democracy. Ambassador Dia personally witnessed the historic events and invites discussion on what the transition means to Mauritania and the region and how to bolster U.S. engagement there. We hope you can participate in this unique, timely discussion.

The Maghreb Center is an independent, Washington DC based non-profit created to increase understanding of the Maghreb in the United States. In accomplishing its educational mission, the Center organizes Maghreb-related conferences, seminars, lectures, round-tables, and offers a series of publicly available publications. The Center sponsors numerous programs open to the public featuring U.S. and regional experts, development practitioners, foreign policy specialists, and representatives of Maghrebi governments, and civil society. This lecture series is made possible with the generous support of the Moroccan American Cultural Center.